Tampa, Florida -- Speaking to a group of more than 100 women at the Children's Board of Hillsborough County Monday, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi promised the Affordable Care Act will be enacted despite attempts by Republicans to stop it.

"I want to remove all doubt for you, it will be implemented," Pelosi later told reporters.

Republicans are vowing not to increase the debt ceiling unless the ACA, or Obamacare as some call it, is defunded. That move could lead to a federal government shut-down come Oct. 1. Pelosi calls those pushing that plan "legislative arsonists".

"They want to burn down the house to get rid of mice, that's just not a good idea."

Touting the benefits of the ACA, Pelosi says it will ban insurance companies from dropping women when they get sick or become pregnant while also ending the practice of "gender rating", or charging women higher premiums than men for the same coverage.

But opponents point to companies like Sea World/Busch Gardens which is cutting hours for thousands of part-time workers to avoid offering them medical insurance under the health-care overhaul and Home Depot which is ending medical coverage for about 20,000 workers and pushing them to the government sponsored exchanges for insurance.

But Pelosi and fellow Democrat U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor of Tampa say in the long run Americans will be better off.

"If they want to get good employees they're going to have to give them health insurance or give them a path to that otherwise they won't be as competitive as they can be," Pelosi said.

"There will be a lot of criticism along the way but what this will do for our families, small businesses all across the state of Florida will be revolutionary," added Castor.